BB King dies at age 89, celebrities take to social media to pay tribute

May 15, 2015

As the news broke that
BB King sadly passed away in Las Vegas at the age of 89 on Thursday, celebrities took to social media to send their condolences and pay tribute to the blues legend. Everyone from Justin Timberlake to Lenny Kravitz have spoken out about the impact the musician had on the industry and the world.

Blues legend BB King has passed away at the age of 89 Photo: Getty Images

Justin, who is from Memphis and home of the blues, shared on Instagram, "RIPBBKing You mean more to Memphis than words can say... #LegendofBealeSt #KingOfTheBlues."

Lenny Kravitz
wrote, "BB, anyone could play a thousand notes and never say what you said in one" while country music favorite Brad Paisleyposted, "Sad to hear BB King has left us. I loved collaborating with him, loved his music & his spirit. He changed music forever. God bless him." Even rapper Snoop Dogg shared a picture of the star, simply writing, "R.I.P. B. B King."

Sad to hear B.B. King has left us. I loved collaborating with him, loved his music, & his spirit. He changed music forever. God bless him.

Beatles drummer
Ringo Starr, who collaborated with the blues guitarist on his 1971 album BB King in London, tweeted, "God bless BB King, peace and love to his family Ringo and Barbara x."

Richie Sambora also took to social media. "My friend and legend BB King passed," he wrote. "I'm so so sad... he was so great to me...We've lost the King... My love and prayers to his family."

A one-time farmhand, BB King was considered a music icon, who sold millions of albums worldwide over the course of his incredible career. He was inducted into both the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His 2009 album,
One Kind Favor, earned him his 15th Grammy award.

Many took to social media to pay respects to the king of blues Photo: Getty Images

BB, born Riley B King, is credited with introducing a new generation of fans to the blues with his heartfelt lyrics and soaring guitar. He played a Gibson guitar that he affectionately called Lucille, and was a mentor to a number of guitarists including Eric Clapton.

The late star, who was born in Mississippi in 1925, started performing in the 1940s, and produced such hits as "Lucille," "The Thrill is Gone," "Sweet Black Angel" and "Rock Me Baby."

BB was diagnosed with
type 2 diabetesmore than 20 years ago, but continued to be a famously relentless live performer well into his 80s. He was, however, hospitalized twice in April and had to cancel a number of tour dates at the end of 2014.

On May 1, it was announced that he had entered hospice care at his Las Vegas home where he died in his sleep his lawyer confirmed.